Newsroom
Since the construction sector was permitted to resume operation on Monday, 26 construction sites have so far been forced to shut down after inspections revealed they completely failed to adhere to health and safety protocols in place as the island is still grappling with the pandemic.
According to the Labour Inspection Department on Friday, a total of 3,742 inspections have been carried out since Monday, when the retail and construction sectors were reactivated as part of the first phase of the gradual easing of restrictions imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus.
Though these sectors were permitted to resume, their operation was governed by decrees imposing strict health and safety protocols for the protection of public health.
The checks conducted by Friday involved 3,160 inspections at retail businesses that resumed operation, and 564 at construction sites.
For the most part, inspections at retail businesses found that they had complied with mandatory protection measures enforced by the government.
It was the construction sector which appeared to be the most problematic, as in some cases inspectors found that workers were not wearing protective face masks, and were not keeping safe distances from each other, while it was also noted that they had not been adequately informed of health and safety protocols in place.
On Friday, inspections were conducted at 76 construction sites across Cyprus, with two in Limassol, one in Paphos, and one in Larnaca being ordered to shut down.
